Heavenly Drabbles
by SilverCaladan
Summary: A series of drabbles inspired by a mailing list's challenges. Slash-friendly. Each drabble has its own rating; please read the notes...
1. City Gossip

_**City Gossip**_

**Rated**: G  
**Summary**: Taken from a small scene in episode 2; gossip reigns supreme among women in closely-knit cities.  
**Genre**: General  
**Pairings**: None  
**Warnings**: Gen, only minor unnamed characters  
**Spoilers**: Second episode  
**Challenge**: #1 - Friendship

-

Marie hung up, ending the sudden call from her gossipy sister-in-law. The woman had been fretting something awful about a rumor she had heard in market; something about a _wolf_. As if. Wolves had been extinct for at least two centuries. Still, if the rumor was to be believed, the dog had been at least twice as big as any of the dogs she had ever seen.

The rattle of a chain startled Marie, and she whirled, only to see her pug tugging on where his leash hung from a peg. "You want to go for a walk, sweetie? Well... alright." Trying to still her beating heart (boy, that wolf rumor certainly had her frazzled too), Marie stepped outside of the door almost furtively, looking carefully into every shadow near her before passing it.

Her pug romped around rather happily as she led him at a pace fast enough to make her pant towards Lisa's house. Lisa had small children, and would want to know about something as dangerous as a wolf.

"Did you hear? Someone saw a wolf in town. Can you believe it?" Marie could see the amazement in Lisa's face, but there was no disbelief. In a close-knit city like this one, gossip was taken for fact, friendship was a given, and the only way to express your hatred for someone was by talking behind their back. Sometimes that atmosphere got on Marie's nerves; she'd heard some nasty rumors about how she'd been able to afford the red fur coat with white rabbit fur trimming.

"What is this world coming to? You don't suppose it's just a big dog, do you?"

"From what I've heard, no one's ever seen a dog that big before. Oh, these are troubled times." What _was_ Lisa looking at? It wasn't like Baby, her pug, was freaking out or anything. Perhaps... but no, Lisa would never do that to Marie. Lisa and Marie were best friends... but there she was, staring at Marie's coat. Was that... jealousy in her eyes?

"Well, I _never_!" Marie snorted in a surprised Lisa's face, and stalked back to her home; at least Marie knew that Baby and her husband, Jake, would never do anything to harm her. Honestly, the nerve of those stupid women today, pretending friendship like that.

-


	2. Hot Doggin' It

_**Hot-Doggin' It**_

**Rated**: PG  
**Summary**: What's better, hotdogs or sexy wolves?  
**Genre**: General, Humor  
**Pairings**: Slight Kiba/Hige  
**Warnings**: Implications of slash  
**Spoilers**: Early Series  
**Challenge**: #5 – Obsession

-

Hige loved hotdogs. Alright, that was a big friggin' lie. Hige couldn't stand going five hours, much less a _day_, without snarfing one of those smoking, grilled treats. He had no clue how he'd survived on what little raw meat he could find in the cold wasteland.

The smell permeated the entire city… at least to Hige. The second he woke up in the morning, it was all he smelled and cared to smell, aside from that of moon flowers. Charcoaled grease simmering and bubbling on some sort of meat; Hige didn't know what kind, nor did he care. Meat was meat!

Condiments only enhanced his pleasure. Mustard? Tangy and heavenly. Ketchup? Who knew that something made from vegetables could be so salty! Chili and cheese were rare, but divine. Hige stole them every chance he got, determined to stuff his face until no more could fit in his belly, a goal that he had yet to reach.

Obsessed? Nah…

But somehow, Hige had managed to live for several days without any food in _general_, including hotdogs; it was all Kiba's fault. Hige had even denied the wonderfulness of hotdogs in order to not antagonize the only other wolf that he had seen in forever.

What had this concession granted him? Freezing cold, a stomach shriveling up as it ate itself, not even a remnant of the worst hotdog ever made, and a nice view of Kiba's ass.

Who said he couldn't trade one obsession for another?

-


	3. Bloodsong

_**Bloodsong**_

**Rated**: PG-13  
**Summary**: The thrumming of life flowing through your veins...  
**Genre**: General, Action/Adventure  
**Pairings**: Gehl/Tsume  
**Warnings**: Hero-worship, mention of death, male/male unrequited crush  
**Spoilers**: 10 minutes of the first episode  
**Challenge**: #7 – Music

-

"Do you hear it?" The heavily bundled man practically screamed the words into Gehl's ear. Of course, that was the only way to be heard, considering the fierce wind, the noise of the jeeps, and the frantic beating of his heart.

"What!" So nerves made his voice squeak higher than he thought possible. That certainly wasn't because he was about to jump onto a speeding train at great personal risk simply to prove his manhood.

In response to his boyish yelp, the man just grinned sadistically. Oh God, thought Gehl.

Then, suddenly, the train was there, the men were spilling over, the moment was at hand, and Gehl had absolutely no say over whether he went or not. So he went. Right into hell itself.

Ever been shot at? Ever cowered in fear, clinging to a moving metal behemoth with all of your strength, certain that the next gasping breath you take will be your gurgling last? That was Gehl's reality.

Millennia passed in that fraction of a minute between the death of the man prying into the boxcar right next to him, and the appearance of the gleaming masterpiece of murder. Death loomed.

An ANGEL himself delivered. Black leather, nonchalance, sex personified… and the mechanical horror was dispatched.

The infatuated daze that settled over Gehl's features in the getaway truck lifted only when accosted by that first man, now carrying whatever he could get his hands on. "So, you hear it now?"

Instead of answering, Gehl settled for a confused glance. The image of his savior, casually conquering all that endangered him, still took foremost importance.

The man flashed a grin that was imbued with scariness, then leaned forward and poked Gehl in the chest. "Life."

Thuthump. Thuthump. Thuthump.

Beat, beat, beat. Blood rushing through his veins, still stuck in the grips of adrenaline. The song, the drumbeat of life. Life, saved for him by a rogue Guardian Angel.

Gehl beamed. Music to his ears…

-


End file.
